The Right Way to Be a Man
by Faithful Dreamer
Summary: Everyone thought that they made the perfect couple. Everyone except for one. No, Youichi didn't like it at all. He knew Natsume was in grave danger. His manliness was at stake. Oneshot -1-


**Disclaimer-I don't own Gakuen Alice. If I did, do you really think I would bother writing fanfiction?**

Summary-Everyone thought that they made the perfect couple. Everyone except one. No, Youichi didn't like it at all. He knew Natsume was in grave danger. His manliness was at stake.

**This is my first fanfiction, so try not to be too hard on me! It's just something silly I came up with :] Oh, and You-chan and Aoi are the same age in this fic, just to make things easier for me :P**

**~Faithful Dreamer**

**What It Takes To Be a Man**

Ugh. Youichi Hijiri made a face. He didn't like it. It was disgusting. He sat down in the grass under a tree, disgruntled. He had always respected Natsume-nii, trying to follow his example. But how in the world did Natsume-nii change so much? I mean, sure, he like Mikan-nee and thought they matched each other nicely, but he hated the way Natsume was acting. Not like a man at all!

He glared at the couple. They sat under their usual spot, a sakura tree that always seemed to be blooming. Of course, it wasn't like they were making out or anything; if they were, Youichi knew Natsume would be beyond help. He watched silently, analyzing the scene as Mikan walked up to Natsume offering to share her howalon, the delicious balls of fluff that melt in your mouth, giving you an amazingly wonderful taste that made you feel like you were in heaven and-wait. Youichi couldn't afford to get distracted. He observed as Natsume refused to take any, the idiot. Mikan made a face and turned so her back was facing him, deciding to munch on the tasty treats all by herself. Then Natsume smiled. It wasn't a smirk, it was a genuine smile. It was the kind of smile where his eyes softened and reflected all of his feelings towards the girl beside him. One where, just by looking at him, you couldn't help but feel happy for the two of them. But that was exactly what Youichi didn't like.

Natsume returned to his normal smirk as he burned one of Mikan's pigtails and proceeded to a howalon as she turned to face him in fury. He popped it in his mouth before saying something to make the girl even madder; probably something about how disgustingly sweet they were. But none of that mattered right now. You see, there was something more important to Youichi than anything else. His pride as a man. Sure, he was only 10, but Youichi considered himself quite manly, if he did say so himself. Seeing as Natsume was already 17, he would have thought his onii-chan would be much more concerned for his manliness. Youichi had three almighty rules about being a man that true men should never, ever break:

1. Never smile, only smirk. All men had to be cool, and smiling definitely wasn't cool. It was cute, and men should never be cute.

2. When you're happy, don't _look_ happy. Being happy isn't cool either, it's sweet. Men aren't supposed to be sweet.

3. Don't be mushy and gushy. Mushy Gushy stuff is for girls.

These rules might seem immature and stupid to some people, but to Youichi, they were the rules that led his life. It was like bushido, a samurai's code of honor. If you break it, you would be dishonored for life. However, Youichi felt Natsume had broken all of these rules. He smiled often now. Definitely not to random strangers and not to everyone he knew, but he still smiled. Whenever Mikan did something stupid or nice, he would smile like a lovestruck idiot. And when he smiled, anyone could tell he was happy. Heck, his face practically _screamed_, "Look at me, I'm happy!" And that wouldn't do at all. Not to mention that whenever he gave Mikan-nee a present, it would be all sweet and meaningful and then he'd smile and look happy and be all mushy and gushy. Well, in Youichi's standards, anyway. It was like a snowball effect, Youichi decided. And his onii-chan was rolling down, fast and hard. It was his job to stop it. Natsume was in danger. His _manhood_ was in danger for Christ's sake, and if that wasn't enough to start doing something about it, Youichi didn't know what was!

He watched during lunch time, as Mikan and Natsume sat at a table with Hotaru and Ruka. Mikan looked over at him and gave a warm smile when they made eye contact.

"You-chan! Come sit with us!" The brunette waved at him loudly, attracting attention from the people around her. Natsume looked at him as well, and cocked his head towards an empty seat beside Mikan, indicating for him to sit there. Youichi made his way to the table cautiously, waiting for any signs of Natsume's manliness being endangered. When he decided there were no signs yet, he sat down, satisfied.

"Ne, ne, You-chan, how are you doing in your classes? You aren't having any trouble with them, are you? Are you making sure to do all your homework? Are you doing okay on the tests? You didn't fail any, did you?" Mikan rambled on, concerned about her favorite kouhai. Natsume whacked her on the head.

"Idiot, don't confuse him with you," he said, pleasing Youichi when he smirked.

"Mou! Don't be a meanie-head, Natsume!" Mikan stuck out her tongue at him before tuning back to Youichi to ramble some more. But Youichi didn't pay any attention to the girl's words. He frowned as he watched a gentle smile form on Natsume's face. This wasn't good. He had to take action.

Once classes were over, Youichi decided that now was the time to take action, or Natsume would lose his manliness forever, and he couldn't let that happen. Mikan had said something about going shopping with Hotaru earlier, so Youichi knew Natsume would be alone. This was the perfect opportunity.

He spotted Natsume under the sakura tree, reading manga as usual. Youichi slowly walked up to him and plopped himself down beside him silently. Natsume cocked an eyebrow.

"What's up?" Natsume asked, setting aside his manga. Youichi looked at him warily before speaking.

"Well, it's just that…"He trailed, stopping to look at Natsume, who waited patiently for him to continue. "Well…I just…I'm worried about you." Youichi said it quickly, deciding that it wasn't that manly to be worried about someone. Natsume cocked another eyebrow.

"Why in the world would you be worried? I stopped doing missions a while ago, and I'm making sure not to use my alice too much." Youichi decided it was a good thing he decided to confront Natsume; heck, the poor guy didn't even realize that his manhood was a stake here!

"Onii-chan, don't you realize what's wrong?" Natsume gave him a confused look, prompting him to go on. "Onii-chan, you idiot, your manhood is in danger!" That's when Natsume burst out laughing. "What? What's so funny? Onii-chan, this is serious! What are you going to do if you lose your manliness?!" This only made Natsume laugh even harder. Youichi didn't get it. What was so funny? It took a couple minutes for Natsume's laughs to turn into quiet chuckles.

"And how," he chuckled, "is my manliness at stake?" he looked at Youichi, obviously amused.

"Well, damnit; you're _smiling_! Smiling! No, not smirking, but actually smiling! Men don't smile! And you look _happy_. Men aren't supposed to _look_ happy. It's just not right! Not to mention that you're being all mushy and gushy! That stuff is for _girls_, onii-chan, why can't you realize that! At this rate, you're gonna stop being a man and turned into-into-" Youichi paused for a moment to think. "You're gonna turn into_ Narumi_, onii-chan, and if that doesn't scare you, then I don't know what will!" Youichi resolved, knowing that no man in his right mind ever wanted to be like Narumi. However, Youichi wasn't getting the desired effect. Natsume just burst out laughing again. Ugh! Youichi couldn't stand it anymore! Here he was, being completely serious, and his favorite onii-chan was _laughing_ at him! What the hell!?! Suppressing his laughter, Natsume turned to Youichi.

"Now, Youichi, how in the world can you be a man without someone to be a man for?" Natsume said, obviously still amused.

"Well-" Youichi stopped himself and thought about what Natsume said. It made sense, he decided. What was the point of being a man if you weren't doing it for someone? If you weren't, it might as well be as bad as acting like Narumi. Youichi tried to stop himself from shuddering at the thought. It all made sense now! It's okay to break the rules a little, because that's how you prove that you're being a man for someone! And you can't be a man without being a man for someone else!

"I get it, onii-chan! I have to find someone to be a man for, or else I can't be a man at all!" Youichi jumped up, ready to go find himself someone to help him become a man. "Thanks, onii-chan! I'll be a real man, before you know it!" With that, Youichi ran off, looking for a girl to be manly for, leaving Natsume alone to laugh at him some more. Mikan walked up to Natsume not long after.

"What was that about? Youichi was running around saying something about fulfilling his manhood!" Natsume chuckled again, earning a confused look from his favorite brunette.

"What?" Mikan tilted her head and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing." Natsume replied, smiling.

Youichi wandered around, pondering about who would be the best person to help him achieve true manliness. It couldn't be one of those annoying fangirls. Yes, Youichi had fangirls. He felt that those must have been the result of his manliness, or what he had considered to be manliness at the time. Now he had to make sure he was really a man. Youichi thought about who he should pick. It had to be someone he knew well enough, someone kind, pretty, smart, and the same age as him. He looked around campus trying to find someone that fit those requirements. Aha! Aoi would be perfect! She was one of his best friends; she was nice, spunky, smart, pretty, and the same age! Not to mention that he had already told her about his unbreakable rules! It was perfect! Youichi walked up to her right away.

"What's up You-chan?" Aoi smiled at him. Youichi couldn't help but feel he was a genius. She was just too perfect! He decided to get straight to the point.

"Actually, I need to talk to you privately. I need your help with something. It's important." Youichi looked at her, his eyes pleading.

"Well, okay then, if it's so important that you're willing to risk your manliness by asking a girl, then it must be pretty important!" She giggled and nodded at Youichi. "Come on, let's go!" Youichi smiled to himself, she knew him too well. The only thing that she didn't know was that Youichi wasn't risking his manhood at all, in fact, he was increasing his manliness! Youichi cackled to himself at the thought; he was just too cunning!

They walked towards the back of the school, where there was no one there. He couldn't let anyone else see how he needed help from a _girl_. Aoi stopped walked and turned to him.

"So? What'd you need help with that's so important that you're willing to risk your manliness?" Aoi giggled. Youichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt his adrenaline running. This was it. Once he got Aoi to agree to his plan, he would be a real man. He was so close. So close to becoming a true man like Natsume. He opened his eyes and stared into Aoi's eyes, completely serious. Aoi looked slightly taken aback, the mood suddenly changing into a serious one.

"Aoi," Youichi began, still staring directly into her eyes, making her a bit nervous. "Will you help me become a true man?"

"…"

"…"

That's when Aoi burst out laughing.

"Ahahahahahahahahaahah!!" She gasped, desperately trying to get air before she started laughing again. "So this was the big, super important thing you wanted to ask me? Pfft!" She struggled to contain another laugh. Youichi felt annoyed. Maybe it was because they were siblings, but did both Aoi and Natsume feel the need to laugh at him when he wasn't anything but serious? "Ah…you really made my day, You-chan. I haven't laughed like that in years! Now how in the world am I supposed to help you achieve true manliness?" She giggled again at the phrase while she wiped tears from her eyes. Youichi frowned, but maybe if he told her the reason, she would help him. Then maybe it would be worth getting laughed at.

"Well, when I said that Natsume-nii was losing his manliness," he glared when Aoi giggled again, "Anyways, when I told him that, he told me that you can't be a true man unless you have someone to be a man for. So I wanted to be a man for you, because if I don't, then I'll never become a true man!" Aoi started laughing again. Dammit.

"Ahahaha, onii-chan told you that?! Oh, god, I've got to thank him. This is hilarious!" Youichi frowned for what felt like the hundredth time as Aoi walked away, clutching her side.

Oh, well. Youichi sighed but quickly regained his manly, confident smirk. He wouldn't give up, no matter what. It might take a couple years, but someday he'd learn to smile tenderly at her, he'd learn to look happy whenever he was happy, and maybe even give her sweet little gifts to make her smile. He definitely would. After all, _nothing_ would get in Youichi's way to becoming a true man.

**So how was it? I'm satisfied with it, seeing as it's my first fic, but I'm hoping to make the next ones longer. I had a lot of fun writing this, it was especially fun making Youichi so childish but so 'manly' :P I guess we all need to get in touch with our inner manliness sometimes :] Whatever your opinions are, review, review, review! Thanks for reading! Oh, and sorry if Youichi sounded a little sexist. Ahh, ten year olds...  
**

**~Faithful Dreamer**


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